Taking a Hiatus

I am going to take a hiatus from my blog for a few months.  It's not that I don't enjoy it and I hope everyone enjoys reading it but trying to think of a new topic everyday, and then actually putting together the information, doing research, searching for photos, etc., it is all very time consuming and it has taken time away from my actual writing which is where my passion lies.

My third book, Reflection in the Mirror, is now in the editing stage and will require quite a lot of my attention before it actually goes to print.  I will post updates about the progress and will share the cover design with all my readers before anyone else gets to see it.  This is a very exciting time and it is an honor to share it with all of you.

May your new year be filled with love, happiness and good health.  Drop me a line anytime at rkavery@rkaverybooks.com and I will respond.  I will continue to post things on twitter and my blog will return in full force in a few months and until then, posts will be scarce.

Take care!

R. K. Avery
www.rkaverybooks.com
@RKAvery1

Best Christmas Gift!

I've been very blessed in my life.  I've always had plenty of food to eat, a nice warm place to rest my head and the love of family and friends.  I can't ever remember going without.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not spoiled.  I don't get everything my little heart desires but I am very blessed that I have everything I need. 

You see there is a huge difference between WANTS and NEEDS.  As I grow older, I'm trying to remind myself of that everyday.  Do you really NEED those new boots or do you just WANT them?  Do you really NEED that snowman to add to your collection of thousands or do you just WANT it?  Do you really NEED a puppy, that will turn into a dog, to join the other four you already have or do you just WANT it? (I'm not doing a great job of convincing myself here as I think I NEED the puppy -- No, no you don't, you just WANT it.)

That being said, Christmas is the time of year when wants and needs get tossed out the window and this year was no exception.  I got the most wonderful Christmas gift from my husband.  It was not something I needed but every now and then it's okay to splurge and go for the unexpected. 

I had a book signing in the summer and our local TV weatherman was there.  His name is Dick Goddard and he's been a staple of the Cleveland airwaves my entire life.  He sat a few booths over from me and I noticed he had a bobble head--a Dick Goddard bobble head--a little miniature version of himself.  I said out loud to no one in particular, "I want a bobble head." 

Well, my husband was taking notes.   For Christmas he got me my very own R. K. Avery Bobble Head!  She is beauty-full and not just because she looks like me, but because she is.  So much thought and time went into getting her just perfect and I appreciate it more than I can say.  And look how skinny she is!

Thanks hun!  As always, you did a wonderful job of getting me the perfect gift.  And thanks to your little assistants who helped you pull it off.  I do love you guys!  This is even better than saying, "He went to Jared!"

R. K. Avery
www.rkaverybooks.com
@RKAvery1

Christmas, 2013

I hope everyone had a great holiday and it lived up to your expectations.  Sometimes we put such added stress on ourselves trying to make everything picture perfect, when in reality, if humans are involved, life is seldom perfect.

If you ever notice in all those pictures in magazines were the table is set just so with matching linens and china and candles are lit and the centerpiece looks like something Martha Stewart herself created from scratch.   The food is piping hot and just the right proportions fill each dish and bowl making them so inviting.  Something missing from all those pictures is people.  There are no people.  If there were people, the table would not be perfect.  I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have the ones I love surrounding me than the perfect table setting that no one can touch.

Yesterday was a first for me.  My family has been battling that dreadful stomach virus.  My son had it first on Saturday.  Being the good mommy that I am, I cleaned up after him and washed all his bedding to get rid of the germs.  Along with being a good mommy, I got it next.  I was sick all Sunday evening and it just wiped me out.  I slept for 2 days.  My husband, being the good husband he is, helped me wash our bedding and he sanitized all the dishes with extra hot water to kill any lingering bacteria.  Well, he got it yesterday.  He spent most of Christmas in bed battling the stomach demons.  In our family, when we share, we share! 

It was the first time in my life I did not see my mom, dad and sister on Christmas.  It was the first time in my life I didn’t wake up to the anticipation of presents and boundless food.  Instead, I sat around all day watching holiday movies on TV.  And you know what?  Even though I missed seeing everyone, it was nice.  (I did talk to them on the phone.)  Seldom do we have the time to just sit around and do nothing.  I took the time.  I shared precious time with my daughter.  It was a great day. 

So, do what makes you happy and even if things don’t turn out like you had envisioned, embrace the change and enjoy.  Oh, and Happy Boxing Day Canada!

R. K. Avery

www.rkaverybooks.com

@RKAvery1

Last Day for Contest

Yesterday my daughter came to work with me.  I have a day job as a Payroll Accountant (gotta love this time of year - N O T - I won't see daylight until February 1st).  I remember when I first started working here.  She was 9 years old.  When her and my son would come in to visit mommy, they loved everything about it.  I remember my son telling me he wanted to grow up and get a job just like me.  Of course I was so flattered thinking he actually understood what I do but I couldn't leave it alone.  "Why is that?" I asked with a huge smile on my face.  "Because you get to ride in an elevator every single day!" was his response.  So much for the understanding of what I do.  :)  Gotta love the innocence of little kids.

Oh well.  I enjoy having them come in.  I love introducing them to people as my children because I am so proud of them.  They are intelligent, respectful individuals and I am so lucky to be their mom.

This is just a reminder that TODAY is the last day for my virtual book tour.  If you haven't already, check it out and register to win either a $25 Amazon gift card or an autographed copy of Not My Mother's Son.  Here is the link:  Book Blast  Over 18,000 entries so far which is awesome!

Take care and have a great weekend.

R. K. Avery
www.rkaverybooks.com
@RKAvery1

Book Blast - First Position by Author Prescott Lane

About the Author:

Prescott Lane is originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, and graduated from Centenary College in 1997 with a degree in sociology. She went on to Tulane University to receive her MSW in 1998, after which she worked with developmentally delayed and disabled children. She currently resides in New Orleans with her husband and two children.

Her latest book is the contemporary romance, First Position. 

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About the Book:

Emory faces life’s challenges at the one place that never failed her, the ballet barre. But even the barre can’t steady her when fate brings her face-to-face with her old college flame, Mason, who’s hoping to return to the NFL after a career-threatening injury. Before they can surrender to their sexual desires and find salvation in each other’s arms, they need to come to terms with their past. Mason must confront the demons that have set him on a path of self-destruction, while Emory must decide whether to keep her painful secrets locked away, or expose them and risk losing the love of her life. But nothing can prepare Mason for what Emory has kept hidden, or the possibility that he himself may be to blame for the very secrets she keeps and why they continue to haunt her.

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Title: First Position
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Prescott Lane
Publisher: Prescott Lane
Pages: 283
Language: English
Format: eBook

Book Excerpt:

     

      “So, little miss, want to fess up to what you were doing yesterday?”

“Well, it depends,” she said.  “Before or after, I threw my half-naked body at Mason?”

Wesley dropped the knife.  “Excuse me?”

Tomás raised his eyebrows and gave her a smile.  “It was just for a little while,” she said playfully.

“How little?” Wesley munched on his biscuit.

“Not too long.”

“How naked?”

“I told you -- about half.”

“Which half?”

“A little of both.”

“Both breasts?”

“No.  Top and bottom.”

“Is that so?”  Wesley took a sip of his drink, thoughtfully considering what she’d said, like he was some kind of philosopher.  “Any action?”

“I tried.”

“How hard?”

“Pretty hard.”

“Was he?”  Wesley grinned at Tomás and took another bite of his biscuit.

“Shut up,” she said blushing.  “We decided it was best to take things slow.”

“That’s too bad,” Wesley said, and Tomás slapped his arm.  “In all seriousness, I’m happy for you.”

“Me too,” Emory said, rising from the table with her and Tomás’ plates. 

Wesley grabbed her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “Did you tell him?”  Emory shook her head walking to the sink, and Wesley shot her a disapproving look.  Tomás eyed them both curiously.  “He deserves to know!”

Tomás mouthed to Wesley, “Know what?”  Wesley shook his head that it was none of his business.

“No lectures, Wesley.”  She scrubbed the plates.  “Let me enjoy myself and Mason before I ruin it.” 

“You need to stop running,” Wesley said.

“I’ll stop when you stop.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

R. K. Avery

www.rkaverybooks.com

@RKAvery1

Origin of St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6^th and even though it’s not widely celebrated in the United States, in Northern Europe St. Nicholas Day it is a really big deal. Traditional celebrations include gifts left in children’s shoes which many say is where we got the idea for stockings from.

Good children receive treats – candies, cookies, apples and nuts – while naughty children receive lumps of coal. In Germany, children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and hope to find candy, coins and maybe a small gift in them on Dec. 6. In the Netherlands, children put their shoes in front of their chimneys in hopes of finding chocolate or a small toy in their shoe when they wake.

Can I just say ewwww?  Candy and cookies left in stinky shoes?  No thank you.  I will stick with our traditions that don’t involve making me gag. 

Regardless, celebrate however you like but if you ask me if I’d like a piece of candy, I may think twice!

R. K. Avery
www.rkaverybooks.com
@RKAvery1

True Meaning of Christmas

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out next to the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask. The words choked up in my throat and I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement . . ."TEACH THE CHILDREN!"

I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a toy bag from behind the tree.

As I stood bewildered, Santa said, "Teach the children!  Teach them the old meaning of Christmas, the meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten." 

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle.  "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who replaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag an ORNAMENT of himself. "Teach the children that I, Santa Claus, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.

  

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son." Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes.

He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship him, our LORD, our GOD."

R. K. Avery

www.rkaverybooks.com

@RKAvery1